Stuart Saunders has lived on Pit Road since 1985 or over the past four decades. He is pictured with Mr. Hodgson in front of the newly approved gravel pit entrance adjacent to their homes.

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Laurentian Valley – The Township of Laurentian Valley (LV) Council has approved the construction of a new primary entrance to the G.P. Splinter Forest Products gravel pit despite a strong opposition from residents adjacent to the site.

The first order of business discussed at last Tuesday’s LV Council meeting was the subject of several heated debates over past months. The March 4 meeting had delved into an issue that received backlash from two residents who left the meeting visibly frustrated with council’s ruling, one of which went off on the group after the meeting.

CAO/Clerk Dean Sauriol was the first to discuss the report and highlighted council’s long-standing tabling of the issue.

“The council has been very diligent,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s taken a lot more time than we anticipated. We tried to cover all our bases and make sure that we had all the proper information for council to make this decision.

“It’s been ongoing and there have been several owners through the process. There has been some time when we haven’t been using it but for the most part the license has never been dormant, closed, refused or anything like that.”

Mayor Steve Bennett recognized the hours staff have put into trying to find a solution and highlighted developments in recent months.

“We’ve been able to get all kinds of opinions from the MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources), our lawyers and works crew,” he said. “We’ve done our due diligence to come to the point in time where we have to make a decision with the information that’s in front of you.”

“If we decide that we don’t want Pit Road, they (G.P. Splinter) are going to find us in litigation, because it’s a primary road and has been for many years.”

Reeve Keith Watt, who attended the meeting virtually, made it clear council had a conundrum and would need to compromise.

“I don’t think we have any choice. We’d be up against liability charges if we change that access. So, I think the repairs just need to be done and Mr. Splinter needs to get on with his job.”

Resident Outrage

Although the elephant in the room was the first item on the council agenda, two local residents in attendance were upset by the ruling. One displeased ratepayer simply added his two cents just after the motion was approved, adding it was a “shame,” while another resident waited until council adjourned to take the opportunity to address the group as a whole.

Pit Road resident of 40 years, Stuart Saunders, approached council as they were beginning to pack up, saying, “Just so you know, my lawyers are going to come after you.”

He went on to allege the boundary lines set out by the Splinter law firm are incorrect and that it encroaches on his property among other injustices he called to attention. Mr. Saunders said he has documented the situation and that the MNR has already confirmed that an existing access point behind his residence to Pit Road is illegal.

“What you have done is criminal. You are never allowed to alter that right of way,” he said. “It should have gone out for tender. All that was done without a permit, all the tree cutting in a zone that wasn’t allowed. When I get you in court, you’re going to be in trouble.

“I’m telling you right now, this is going to go to court, and you should want to lose. You’re not allowed to do what you’re doing.”

Mr. Saunders further alleged that tensions over the dispute had escalated to the point of dangerous confrontations, alleging he had been threatened and made alarming claims about an attempt to harm him.

“I will be armed when I go out there,” he said. “That is not a joke.”

Legal Action

A group of homeowners from the Township of Laurentian Valley (LV) are pursuing legal action after council voted in favour of a new gravel pit entrance running right through their neighbourhood.

Last Tuesday’s LV Council meeting further aggravated an already pressing issue for several Pit Road homeowners through the approval of the construction of a new entrance to the G.P. Splinter Forest Products gravel pit. The change was approved despite a party of three in vehement opposition who said the plans threatens their livelihoods.

G.P. Splinter purchased the dormant gravel pit behind Alice & Fraser Recreation Centre in the fall of 2024 and looked to make it operational quickly thereafter. However, doing so meant the business would move forward on several attempts to allow trucks to run through Pit Road.

The prospect of heavy machinery running by their homes between the hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. immediately sparked the ire of a handful of local residents who had attended the recent meeting. The group has been at odds with several involved organizations including the township since November of last year and said they have yet to see any response to their demands.

Living at his quaint Pit Street residence since 1985, Stuart Saunders has witnessed history unfold from afar. But never in all those years did he expect it to roll down his road in the form of dump trucks and haulers. Now he looks forward to a fight for the ages as he and several others feel they’ve had the recent changes shoved in their faces. The group alleged that the involved parties are not only up to no good but were knowingly and deliberately ignorant.

“They’re building that entrance illegally,” he urged. “They’ve built it with no surveys. They have to inform us a year in advance and get our comments on it. Then they have to have a tribunal on it to push all this through. Well, they voted to put this road through on Tuesday, yet they started construction in November.”

According to Mr. Saunders, the involved groups have jumped the gun by a landslide and moved forward with illegal changes. In turn, the group in opposition said they’re at risk of losing tens of thousands of dollars in equity on their homes that have stood on Pit Road for decades.

He and two other property owners within a stone’s throw of the site are in the same boat. Mr. Saunder’s neighbours, long-time residents Ian Hodgson and Shelley Price, both echoed his view.

“I had a real estate agent come out here. I lose $85,000 on the sale of my home if they do this,” Mr. Saunders remarked. “I own half the road going in there. There’s no way they can get in there without going through me.”

He intends to press charges against the pit’s former owners, Eastway Construction, as well as Greg Splinter, LV Township and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).

Company’s Counterargument

As the owner of the company whose gravel pit has been so hotly debated, Mr. Springer told the Leader he has tried to work with neighbours and is proceeding with his plans. He looks forward to the snow melting in the spring so that they can move ahead with the required rock blasting and landscaping to form the new entrance.

“They’re all fight and anger. I’m the new guy trying to make a living, employ people and haul sand and gravel, and he’s all down our back,” he said. “All the paperwork I have says the Pit Road entrance has been primary since the get go. Yes, it needs to be brought up to a safe proper standard, and now that I’ve purchased it, I’m going to do that.”

Mr. Splinter said he had initially hoped to cooperate with locals to form a better working relationship but believes there were already issues predating his ownership. He said he risks having his business flagged or license revoked if they don’t move forward.

“I honestly would like to get along with the neighbours, chat with them and keep the peace. There’s nothing worse than driving out an entrance when everyone’s giving you the stink-eye,” he said.

“I don’t want to burn the bridge. I want to compromise and work with everybody, but that’s the way I have got to go, out that entrance. It’s not only the township, it’s the ministry (MNR) who issues the license telling me that I have to go that way.”